On July 12th, 2015 I visited an area where mexican whorled milkweed plants are growing. The plants have attracted monarch's and swallowtail butterflies over the last week. Today I took my camera with the goal of photographing a few of the bugs. I was only at the truck stop where the flowers are blooming for no more then 10 minutes and I saw 10 different kinds of bugs. If you can help me identify any of the insects leave a comment below.

Lady bugs, July 2:11 PM

Not just one lady bug but two lady bugs!

Wasp, JULY 2:12 PM

The yellow jacket sometimes appears to be a threatening menace at your backyard BBQ. Here in the milkweed meadow the yellow jacket is a gentle bug searching for pollen.

Bee, JULY 2:13 PM

This bee appears to be a honey bee. It is loading up on pollen. If you look very closely on the bees legs you may be able to see the pollinia packets attached. The bee is fertilizing the blossom and these flowers will most certainly become fruit in the form of seed pods in the next few weeks.

Wasp, JULY 2:14 PM

I could use a bit of help with this wasp identification. Perhaps a Mud Dauber?

Butterfly, JULY 2:15 PM

Skipper, JULY 2:16 PM

This skipper butterfly is feeding on the milkweed while waiting for the additional blooms to open.

Milkweed Beetle, JULY 2:17 PM

Large milkweed bug. These bugs are pretty common on milkweed. Its a good idea to try and keep the large milkweed bug away from your milkweed when the seed pods form. The large milkweed bug will feed on the seeds. When they do feed on the milkweed seeds the seeds will not grow due to the damage this bug has caused to the seed.

Fly, JULY 2:18 PM

Big fly may be taking a break from flying in the hot sun.

Fly, July 2:19 PM

Small fly. This fly seemed pretty engaged in searching for something on the milkweed flowers.

Beetle, JULY 2:20 PM

I don't have the identification for this beetle. It may be visiting the milkweed while on its way thru the area.

That's 10 bugs in 10 minutes on milkweed

It's not hard to see all the value that milkweed has for pollinators and other insects. My favorite two kinds of bugs today are the butterflies and the bees. I try to pet a bee every day in the summer. Today was no exception. The bees were very friendly, even the yellow jacket.

If I had more time to stay at the milkweed it is very likely that I would have seen a monarch butterfly visit the plants. On a few visits here earlier in the summer I had seen a few different monarchs flying over and landing on these flowers.

If you are interested in growing mexican whorled milkweed in your yard or garden then you can pre-order the seeds now and expect delivery before the end of November. Visit the store to order milkweed seeds.

Monarch's are now all over North America. Mexico has monarchs. America has monarchs. Canada has monarchs. Summertime is primetime for monarchs to migrate. Use the milkweed locater to see which type of milkweed is native to your state.

Monarchs are not on My Milkweed, Why?

The distribution of monarchs can appear to be uneven at times. I am happy to have seen a total of three monarchs in my yard this year. It is still early in the monarch's migration season. No eggs have been laid on my milkweed yet.

The milkweed patch is a busy habitat for hundreds of animals that visit the plant throughout the summer. Bees are actively pollinating the blooms. Spiders are laying in wait for tiny bugs. Tiny bugs are striving to survive on the milkweed plants. One of the smallest animals on milkweed is the monarch caterpillar.

Caterpillars can be very difficult to see when they are small. A newly hatched caterpillar is only 2-6mm in length (source: Monarch Watch) and nearly transparent. The day after my latest caterpillar hatched I didn't see it on the milkweed until two days later. They could be hiding out in the open.

Monarchs need time to reproduce

The monarch lifecycle is an amazing process. Metamorphosis is incredibly complex and requires that many steps in the process goes well for the monarch to take flight. An entire metamorphosis from egg to butterfly occurs in about 30 days.

As monarchs enter your region of N. America they may be at the end of their short life. An egg laying female is likely to lay as many as 500 eggs on the milkweed plants in her lifetime. Those eggs take about a week to hatch the tiny caterpillar. It may be another week before you notice the leaves being chewed up by the hungry caterpillars.

Once the caterpillars have grown thru five instars they may have crawled away from the milkweed to form the chrysalis. The chrysalis is the last step in metamorphosis before the butterfly takes flight. As fun as looking for monarchs in flight can be, we may be looking in the wrong place.

Egg, caterpillar and chrysalis are also monarchs that haven't gotten ready to fly. Take some time to look at the milkweed throughly. Eggs are small, oblong and have a light gold color. You may find an egg before you see a monarch.

Monarch eggs in Twin Falls, Idaho

While traveling to attend a wedding visited a park that I went to in 2014. There was milkweed in the park in 2014 so I was hopeful to find monarchs in 2015. While I did not see any monarchs, I did see a viceroy butterfly.

The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) has the orange and black color that resembles a monarch butterfly but has a distinct black line which does not appear on a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

The adult Viceroy will nectar on milkweed and other pollinating flowers but their host plant is not milkweed. A Viceroy caterpillar will eat willow and cottonwood's rather than milkweed.

Viceroy

Although I had not seen a monarch in flight I chose to search for signs that there were monarchs visiting the many milkweed plants in the park.

By looking under the leaves of the showy milkweed plants I was able to observe eight monarch eggs. By finding eight eggs I was able to confirm, without a doubt, monarchs are flying around in Twin Falls Idaho.

Roadside mowing is a real threat to milkweed. In this photo the milkweed was just out of reach of the mowers blades. If you look closely at the leaves you will see that some of the nearby plants are piercing these showy milkweed leaves.

Pesticide and herbicide use is another threat to milkweed. Fortunately, the plants in this park don't appear to getting sprayed by pesticides or herbicides. Thistles did get hit by roundup or other similar product. Luckily for the milkweed community they were spared the spray this week.

Perrine bridge milkweed

Raising monarchs at home

In one month a monarch can be raised in your home. With a little preparation and a lot of patience you can contribute to the monarch butterfly population explosion that is overdue. I have a goal to raise and release twenty-five healthy monarch butterflies in 2015.

The most natural approach to supporting monarchs is to grow milkweed on your property. Monarch waystations and pollinator gardens are hugely successful and provide wonderful habitats for monarchs and other beneficial insects.

Currently I am growing milkweed in a monarch waystation. The name of my way station is "The Biggest Little Butterfly Garden In The World" Monarch waystation #8269 as registered with the Monarch Watch Waystation Program. Registering your garden is not necessary. I chose to register and even ordered the cool sign. I consider it a donation to a good cause.

The monarchs habitat is a cruel unforgiving place to grow up. Spending a month outside in the elements is dangerous, even in the summer, for a monarch larvae. Eggs get eaten, caterpillars become meals. Chrysalids can become damaged. Any one of these events will kill that monarch larvae.

To control the process I am trying to raise this years 25 monarchs indoors. By preventing eggs from being eaten. Keeping caterpillars from becoming meals. And by hosting the chrysalids in a safe place I plan to increase the survival rate from a dismal 5% to above 75%. Some folks raising monarchs report successful rearing of above 95%. By removing a few variable from the environment the monarchs stand a better chance of completing their metamorphosis.

From One to Twenty-Five in only One Year

As a monarch enthusiast I am seeking to spur a monarch butterfly population explosion. With the population at record lows we are faced with a tipping point. On one end is extinction and on the other end is survival of the species. I set a personal goal to raise 2,500% more monarchs in 2015 than I did in 2014.

Time is the biggest factor that is working against me. September is when all monarchs depart Reno, NV. To my advantage, I have more milkweed now than I had last year. I am also getting an earlier start on the season by nearly two months. As I am writing this there is one caterpillar eating tropical milkweed in my new rearing cage.

Monarch Season is in Full Bloom

Winter monarchs have entirely disbanded from their clusters and are crossing all international boarders. Canada has seen the arrival of the the first flying flowers. A few weeks behind these northern flyers are their offspring. As the monarchs are flying around pollinating they are also in search of milkweed.

Milkweed is in full bloom. Most of the milkweed is ready for monarch caterpillars. Milkweed is rapidly growing all over North America. The monarchs are doing what they do best. Monarchs are laying their tiny eggs and a new generation is emerging to continue the migration.

Milkweed is Monarch Candy

Ever see children reaching for the candy in the checkout lane at your grocery store? You know the children can't resist the desire to eat the contents of the brightly wrapped candy.

Milkweed is candy to the monarchs. Sweet pollen in the milkweed flowers feeds the adult monarchs as they travel. The female monarchs are acutely aware of milkweed plants as they migrate.

Current Monarch Butterfly Activity in Reno

Nevada monarchs are believed to be a part of the western population of monarchs. The western monarchs are identical to the eastern monarchs in almost every way. The only difference is where they go during the winter. Western monarchs go west to over 200 locations in central and southern California.

Warm weather is becoming more common across America. Monarchs love the warm weather. Have you been outdoors observing monarch activity? Its truly incredible. Monarchs have become very active in the northern Nevada area around Reno.

In three consecutive days I have found evidence of monarchs. One female monarch landed in a tree above my wife as she was washing her car. I captured an amateur photograph and enhanced the color to help bring out the monarch.

The very next day I saw a monarch flying across a busy street after it overflew a patch of showy milkweed. It was moving fast. There is a good chance that it was also laying eggs on the milkweed as it traveled from plant to plant.

In March there were monarchs traveling thru Texas while I visited on spring break. There were monarch eggs in a milkweed garden near San Antonio. There was also a monarch caterpillar on those milkweed plants. June has arrived and the first eggs can be found on milkweed near Reno. It's exciting to see the life cycle of these amazing insects.

Click to enlarge

monarch butterfly egg

How to Find a Monarch Butterfly

Can you see the egg?

Beginning in June monarch sightings become much more frequent. To spot a monarch I find that looking toward the nearest milkweed plant is a good place to begin. Monarch butterflies flutter all around the milkweed. They know it is home. The female monarch will lay her eggs on the plant.

June, July and August are the peak season for Monarch butterflies in most places. If you have milkweed in your garden then you may have monarchs as guests in your garden. Another option to find monarchs is to go out looking for them. Maybe a park or field edge has milkweed? It will certainly be a good place to begin looking.

How are the Monarch's where you are?

Tell about your experience seeing monarchs, eggs, caterpillars or chrysalis this year. Was it in your yard or were you traveling? Do you raise the butterflies and release them? Leave a link to your favorite monarch resource to help others conserve this insect.

Seed starting in Spring requires a plan

Materials list:

Keurig K-cups

Greenhouse, up-cycle a plastic container

Seed starting mix

Butter knife

Optional materials, coffee and cookies.

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My plan was to start early and with very low cost items that are commonly found around the house. The example I am using is for a very tiny window sill greenhouse seed starter. You could use a larger clear container and expand the capacity very easily.﻿

The one material that I did spend money on was the soil. For about $10 I grabbed a bag of Jiffy Natural and Organic Seed Starting Mix. Using a seed starting mix has proven, in my experience, to be a good value. The small roots do better growing unrestricted in the loose mixture.

Step 1, start drinking your coffee

Once you have had a reasonable amount of coffee you are ready to begin. Since my tiny greenhouse holds only two K-cups I set out two cookies. This ought to get me thru the process. If you are interested in starting a larger number of seeds then start looking for a large clear plastic container. Anything with a flat bottom and removable lid will work great. Perhaps those $5 cookies that are always on sale at your grocery store would make a good greenhouse?

Once you have enough K-cups then you are ready to begin. In the next step I will show you how I prepared the K-cup so that it is ready for the seeds.

Step 2, Dismantle the K-cup and compost grounds

The K-cup is made up of a plastic cup, filter containing coffee grounds and tin foil lid. The only part that is required for this project is the plastic cup. Use a plastic or metal butter knife to cut off the tin foil lid. Remove as much of the lid as is easy for you. Then use the butter knife to tear thru the paper filter. Yes you fingers to pull the filter out of the K-cup.

In the photo you can see the K-cup at the top has the tin foil pulled back. The K-cup on the bottom is finished. The tin foil and the paper filter has been removed entirely. Simply rinse out the cup and you are ready for the next step.﻿

Step 3, Add the Soil and Milkweed Seeds

Add your soil of choice to the tiny cup and place the milkweed seeds on top. I don't cover the seeds because milkweed loves the sunshine. Soil covering the seed will block light and may delay the germination of the seed. There will be enough moisture for the seed because of the high humidity that will occur inside the tiny greenhouse.

Before I finish I like to spray the top of the soil filled cup with a few squirts of water. Although the hole in the bottom of the cup should wick up water I think getting all the soil wet right away may speed up the process and ensure the seed is moist right from the start.

DIY Milkweed Greenhouse

Additional Tips & Tricks

Check that there is water in the bottom of the tray so that the humidity in the greenhouse stays high.

Spray seeds directly with water if the surface soil becomes dry.

Monitor the temperature of the seed and soil, if it is hot then move a few feet away from the window.

Move plants outside a few weeks after last frost.

2015 is an exciting year for milkweed. There are many private organizations and public nurseries that are working very hard to bring milkweed plants to local stores. Until their network is able to support the massive demand for milkweed you can use readily available milkweed seeds to begin growing asclepias plants in your home today.

Tiny Greenhouse Update, Twelve Days Later

There is great news in this update about my tiny greenhouse. But with the good news is also bad news. After having the tiny greenhouse on the window sill for a few days I dropped it on the ground. Not a total loss by any means but I felt like a klutz. The K-cups tipped over and the dirt and seeds came out.

Thankfully the spill was contained to the little sandwich container. It was hard to locate the seeds so I simply spread the dirt evenly and added some water and gingerly put it back on the window sill. Today is twelve days after the experiment began and all four seeds, two per cup, have sprouted! Only three are visible in the photo but there is a fourth seed in there somewhere. The root actually extends all the way to the bottom left.

Tiny Greenhouse with milkweed seeds

Update 5/12/2015

After a successful transplant in mid March these milkweed plants have continued to grow very well as an indoor houseplant. They get indirect sunlight in the morning and I adjust the blinds in the afternoon to give them more or less sunlight depending on how quickly I want them to grow. More sunlight encourages growth.

One Gallon Milkweed Greenhouse

Overwintering milkweed seeds results in higher germination of the seeds and yields more plants in the Spring. My favorite method is to make a one gallon greenhouse. The one gallon greenhouse protects the seed from scavenging animals and retains the moisture thru the winter.

11/27/14

In the Spring the one gallon greenhouse raises the temperature of the seed earlier while also protecting the seed from freezing temperatures later. It's a real win win. The water needed is also reduced because much of the water is retained within the one gallon greenhouse.

2/1/15

The One Galon Greenhouse is Easy

1. Dirt

2. Sprouts

3. Growth

4. Transplant

Once the milkweed plants are bursting out of the top then it is time to transplant. Transplanting is simple. The plant and roots slide out the top of the jug and you place them in a hole of equal size. Add water and sunshine and wait for the monarch butterflies to lay their eggs on your new plants.

The Eastern Monarch Butterfly Mexico Winter Count for 2015 was just released.

Numbers are up slightly year over year but much progress is needed to improve upon this mild success. The great news is that the population seems to not have gotten smaller. Mild weather and Spring rains could make for a great year for the monarchs in 2015.

The Western Monarch Butterfly California Count for 2015 was Released This Month.

The Western monarch butterfly population has been stable at a mower number for over a decade. A modest increase over last years count is promising. Much more can be done to help them in 2015. Getting an education about native milkweed for your area is a good start. Monarchs will benefit from having milkweed plants on their migration route thru your yard this summer.

Source: http://monarchjointventure.org click image for site link

Learn how you can help monarchs

Monarch butterflies love nectar. Nectar plants provide energy for adult butterflies. As you may know butterflies are amazing because they go thru metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a stage in the life of a butterfly that changes a walking caterpillar into a flying butterfly. Adult monarchs need a food source for their caterpillars so that their caterpillars can become butterflies and the migration may continue.

Adult monarch butterflies select milkweed to lay their eggs on. Milkweed is the only food source for hungry monarch caterpillars. Adding milkweed to your garden will provide a place for adults to lay eggs. A place for eggs to hatch caterpillars. A place for caterpillars to become butterflies. The milkweed I provide is in "The Biggest Little Butterfly Garden In The World" Monarch waystation #8269. To find o

To find one of the numerous varieties of native milkweed near you you may visit the Clickable Milkweed Map of the USA. Native milkweed (Asclepias) comes in many varieties. It is well adjusted for you climate and will grow back year after year.